


I Can Almost Hear Your Harmony

by swansaloft (orphan_account)



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Christmas, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Mistletoe, fluffy fluffy fluff, onceuponasecretsanta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-26
Updated: 2014-12-26
Packaged: 2018-03-03 14:53:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2854811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/swansaloft
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Regina and Emma decide to engage in a short-term pretend relationship (for Very Important Reasons, obviously), but what should be a simple arrangement becomes complicated when a sprig of everyone's favorite kiss-inducing plant is thrown (literally) into the mix.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Can Almost Hear Your Harmony

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Muirgen258](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Muirgen258/gifts).



> For the purposes of this fic, Robin went directly back to Marian after Emma brought her back, do not pass go, do not collect $200, do not be an asshat and cheat on your frozen wife. Title from “Tracks in the Snow” by The Civil Wars, which like OUAT, I obviously don’t own.
> 
> For muirgen258, who wanted a fake relationship and mutual pining. I threw in some mistletoe for good measure. Merry Christmas from your Secret Santa!

“They’re doing _what_?” Emma gaped at Regina, the doughnut she was about to bite into still paused in midair.

 

“Exactly what I just said. Robin and Marian are having a vow renewal ceremony.”

 

“And they invited you.”

 

“Yes. Which, of course, means that I have to attend, to show that there aren’t any hard feelings.”

 

“Right.” Emma paused for a moment before cautiously venturing, “There aren’t, right?”

 

Regina frowned at her, blowing gently on her cup of earl gray before taking a sip. “Of course not. That was ages ago, and I’ve moved past it. That does not, however, mean that I care to watch them parade their happiness in front of me.”

 

“While you’re still single.”

 

Regina sighed. “Precisely. Which is ridiculous, I am well aware.”

 

“Not really. I mean, I thought it was bad in the regular world, with people always wanting you to be paired up. But here with all this talk of magical happy endings and True Love, it’s almost worse. The pressure is ridiculous.”

 

“Tell me about it.”

 

“Did I tell you how long Snow waited after Hook and I broke up to try to set me up with someone else? Ten days! And I swear, it would’ve been less than that, but she spent the first week trying to convince me to un-dump him.”

 

“Ah, yes.” Regina quirked an eyebrow. “She must have missed his tips on how to apply flawless eyeliner.”

 

Emma chortled. “I’m sure that’s it.”

 

“Truly, though. Settled with Charming and her baby in her arms, Snow is going to start looking to spread that happiness around. That’s what she does, like it or not. You just have to accept it.”

 

“Maybe. But I’m getting a little sick of her hounding me to date anyone with a pulse. And maybe not even that. The guy she pointed me toward in the grocery store yesterday looked downright vampiric. _And_ he was just like, standing there, hanging out in front of the raw meat.”

 

“Sounds like a real winner.”

 

“Right? Just to get her from doing something super awkward like ‘accidentally’ bumping our cart into his, I had to promise I’d go on a date sometime soon.”

 

“And whom do you have in mind for this venture?”

 

“Honestly? I have no idea.” _Well, no one who would be amenable to the thought_ , Emma silently corrected, allowing herself a quick glance at Regina’s full mouth with its perfect coat of lipstick, curved so deliciously she ached with it sometimes. “Someone who doesn’t look like they might want to rip out my throat after the first course? Really, though, I just told her that to get her off my back. I’m pretty happy with my life the way it is. I don’t really want to start trying to find anyone new right now.” That much was true, anyway. She had Regina and Henry, her parents, her job, and her friends, with no hint of a magical supervillain in sight. Wishing for anything more would be like inviting disaster.

 

“Hmm.” Regina hummed in a way that clearly said she was plotting something, and Emma tilted her head, shooting that brunette a questioning look as she licked the sticky residue of her now-demolished bearclaw from her fingers.

 

“I have a thought, Emma.”

 

Emma widened her eyes dramatically. “Do tell, Regina.”

 

Regina narrowed her eyes like she wanted to roll them but refrained, before continuing. “Well, it occurs to me that we could solve both our problems at the same time.”

 

“How’s that?”

 

“Robin and Marian’s ceremony is on Christmas Eve, in two weeks. Assuming that is within an acceptable time frame for your promise to Snow, we could go to the ceremony together.”

 

Emma’s heart stopped beating for about two seconds. Or two years. She wasn’t quite sure. “Um, what?” Her voice emerged surprisingly normal, like her throat wasn’t tight and she totally wasn’t half-frozen in fear and joy and disbelief.

 

“Marian specifically said that I should feel free to bring anyone I wanted. They will probably wind up inviting the entire town anyway. But if you and I went together and pretended to be a couple, it could benefit the both of us.”

 

 _Pretended_. Okay. So that’s how it was. Emma’s heart lurched back into its normal rhythm, and she ignored the tug of disappointment in her gut.

 

“Huh. Interesting. Help you save face and get Snow off my back.”

 

“Precisely. Would that be okay? Are your parents aware that this would not be...uncharacteristic for you?”

 

“You mean that I’ve had girlfriends before? No, they know.”

 

“Good. Would you have any objections?”

 

“We would tell Henry, right?”

 

“Obviously. I never want to lie to him.” The _again_ was unspoken, but Emma heard it loud and clear. “But he would be the only one. Anything else?”

 

“I don’t think so. I’ve never fake-dated anyone, so I don’t exactly know the protocol.”

 

“It should be fairly simple. We dress up, attend the ceremony together, hold hands, perhaps dance, and then go home separately. Afterward, we simply tell everyone that we thought we suited better as friends than lovers.”

 

And there Emma’s heart went again, but this time it sped up and her temperature skyrocketed with it, because the images that flashed through Emma’s head as Regina mentioned the word “lovers” were anything but platonic.

 

Desperately hoping that her cheeks weren’t flushed, Emma nodded before replying. “That makes sense. One thing, though.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Just showing up like that out of the blue might be kind of a dick move. It would probably look like you’re trying to steal the show, which would defeat the purpose.”

 

“You’re right. I didn’t think of that.”

 

“Maybe if we went out once a few days before? You know people will go crazy. So let it buzz around for a couple days so it’ll have died down before the ceremony.”

 

“That sounds doable.”

 

“You mean you might be able to tolerate two evenings of my company so close together?” Emma grinned, and Regina flashed an answering smile back at her.

 

“It seems to be working just fine for us now.”

 

“Good thing we’re friends.”

 

“Indeed. So, the ceremony is a week from Wednesday. Would the Sunday before be acceptable for our first non-date?”

 

“I think so. Hold on.” Emma whipped out her phone, reached her calendar app in a few swipes, and confirmed that she was free that evening. “Yep! Sounds great.”

 

“What do you think? Dinner and a movie?”

 

“I’m always up for food. Just nothing with onions. No one likes an onion-breath kisser.”

 

“I don’t believe kissing is on our agenda.”

 

Emma fought to keep a straight face and a light tone despite the heat in her stomach and the fact that she _swore_ Regina had just glanced at her lips. But of course she would. They were discussing kissing, after all. “I’m just saying, no one’s going to buy that we’re gonna go get our hanky-panky on if you order something loaded up with onions.”

 

“Get our _what_ o- you know what? I don’t want to know.” Regina held up a hand to keep Emma from commenting further. “Since we want people to see us, we should go to Granny’s, since it’s the informal information hub. 7 o’clock?”

 

“Sure. I need to head back to work soon, though, so whatever you want for the movie. Just text me the details. Now, we have to get to the important question before I go though.”

 

“And what might that be?”

 

“If we’re going to be believable, we’ll have to have pet names like all normal couples. Do I get to call you baby? Schmoopie? Sugar-pie?

 

Regina’s face was so horror-stricken that Emma could not hold back a loud bark of laughter.

 

“Don’t you dare.”

 

Emma’s giggles continued, and she clutched her side. “Oh my god, Regina, your face.” She panted, wiping the tears from her eyes.

 

“Yes, dear, I’m glad it’s so amusing to you. I do not believe anyone will be paying so much attention to us that they will be cataloguing the usage of such ridiculous names.”

 

“Suit yourself. But if anyone calls us out, I’m blaming you and your inability to commit.”

 

“Yes, that is historically _my_ problem.” Regina’s sarcasm was light, and she raised both brows and half smiled as she set her teacup back on its saucer.

 

Emma wrinkled her nose in return. “Hey, low blow. I meant your ability to commit to _character_.”

 

“Ah, my mistake.”

 

Emma stood and wrapped her coat around her shoulders, glancing out the window at the swirling snow outside. “Man, I swear it’s snowed another two inches in the last half hour. Good thing I invested in those boots last month.”

 

“Sensible shoes are always a good investment.” Catching Emma gazing longingly at her empty mug of hot cocoa, Regina shook her head. “Oh, no you don’t. Get out of my office and go put those new shoes of yours to good use. You have a town to serve and protect, right, Sheriff?”

 

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll be by with Henry tonight. See you at six-ish?”

 

“I’ll see you then.”

 

Emma let herself glance back at the brunette one more time before she headed back outside into the icy air.

 

* * *

 

She was officially crazy. Emma thunked her head against her desk repeatedly before sitting back up and huffing out a sigh.

 

“Going out _on a fake date_ with the woman you’re crazy about. Brilliant, Emma. Way to go. Really. That’s the dream. You know, minus the fake part and everything. Which might be just the _teensiest_ bit important,” Emma muttered to herself. Realizing she had been doodling on the blank form in front of her, she balled it up and threw it in the trash before reaching for another copy and filling out the actual information.

 

Oh, well. Nothing to be done about it now.

 

She would just pretend it was one of their normal dinners. They did that often enough. Usually with Henry, but they got together fairly regularly without him. This would be just like that. Just with more handholding. And maybe dancing.

 

For the remaining smidgeon of her sanity’s sake, Emma thought she should probably draw the line at kissing, though she doubted it would even cross Regina’s mind to go that far.

 

* * *

Regina tapped her pen against her desk, trying to focus on the paper in front of her. But it was just another complaint from Leroy on the town’s blue laws, so it was hard to concentrate.

 

A fake date with Emma. What had she been _thinking_? Clearly she had been spending too much time around the Charmings, for this was the kind of scheme they would think up. Childish. Ridiculous.

 

A dream come true. If one ignored the element of fabrication.

 

Regina had tried her best to crush her feelings for Emma, but they were stubborn as the woman on whom they were focused. Regina knew that despite the heated looks they sometimes shared – most of which were probably nothing more than her overactive imagination – she and Emma were friends with no possibility of becoming anything more.

 

What they had was one of the best relationships in her life, now that they had moved into the realm of friendship and peaceful co-parenting. Yes, of course there were the occasional tiffs, but nothing serious, nothing that had not blown over in the course of twenty-four hours or so, usually much less.

 

So why she had yielded to temporary insanity and asked Emma out on a fake date was beyond her. It would bring nothing but additional pain and frustration. Maybe she still had more of a masochistic side than she suspected.

 

Though it really _did_ serve a purpose, two really, to be fair. It would help Emma with her mother, as well as help her through Robin’s ceremony. While she no longer harbored feelings for the man, it still stung to watch them and their perfect happiness sometimes. And it would be nice not to look as if she were alone and pining after the unattainable when she absolutely was not. Well, not for him, anyway.

 

Regina was frustrated at herself for being so fixated on Emma, but really there was nothing to do but accept how things were and move past it. She had Emma and Henry in her life almost constantly, and the town had embraced her as one of its own, even if a few members still had reservations. That was fine. She still had reservations about herself. But this was the most perfect her life had ever been, and she would never risk losing such a major part of it because she was selfish enough to want more from Emma than she would ever be willing to give.

 

Engaging in a faux relationship with the object of her affections was probably not the best way to move past them, but it would not do to back out now. Regina would simply hold her head high and proceed down the path she had laid before herself. She had a lifetime of practice with that, and even if it hurt a little, compared to her past experiences, spending time with Emma would be like walking through the park with some really delicious ice cream.

 

That decided, Regina emphatically turned her attention to her work. She fought the urge to roll Leroy’s letter into a ball and toss it into the trash, and instead found the appropriate folder in her cabinet and filed it away before turning to address her email.

 

* * *

Emma’s hands shook as she knocked on the door of 108 Mifflin, but she told herself it was just the cold. After all, she couldn’t exactly wear her giant, clunky, _warm_ boots with her current outfit, and her sheriff’s Carhartt had been traded out for her red leather jacket. She did love this jacket, but she wished it were twice as thick tonight.

 

Then Regina opened the door, and Emma was no longer worried about the temperature, as she was pretty sure the sun had just taken up residence in her chest. Because _wow_.

 

Regina wore a lot of dresses, so Emma really did not expect anything much out of the norm. But this deep red clingy wrap dress was new to her, somehow classy and devilish all at once. The v-neck dipped low, and though it stopped just short of where Emma wished it did, it was still much harder than it should have been to tear her eyes away from the creamy flesh.

 

“Hey,” Emma squeaked, then cleared her throat. “Nice dress. Ready for an evening on the town?”

 

“I’ll just be a moment. Come inside while I grab my coat.” Regina held the door open for her, and Emma stepped through in time to see the brunette turn around and tap away in some fabulously strappy high heels. The view was just as spectacular from the back, because while the dress had sensible long sleeves, the back was mostly open, with a few ribbon-thin strips criss-crossed diagonally across the narrow expanse. Emma’s fingers tingled with the desire to run along the dip in the other woman’s spine, then maybe she could follow the trail with her tongue...

 

Oh, man. She was going to have to keep her thoughts on a much different track than that if tonight was going to be less than spectacularly awkward. She shook her head and blinked a few times, trying to think about something less sexy. David had said something today about trying to organize a couple town baseball teams for the spring, and Emma focused on thinking up a list of those she thought most likely to join. David, obviously, and probably Snow. Definitely Robin and some of his Merry Men, and she would have to remember to ask Archie though she didn’t know if he was really into sports.

 

Regina was back in a few moments, sheathed in a long black coat and pulling on fur-trimmed gloves.

 

“Ready now?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Okay, let’s do this thing,” Emma said with what was probably way too much bravado, turning to head out into the cold.

 

They filled the silence in the car with talk of Henry and his academic progress, and thankfully the drive was short.

 

When they arrived at Granny’s and Emma shut off the car, they stayed silent for a few moments without moving.

 

“Okay, well. I guess this is it. Friends?”

 

“Friends,” Regina confirmed with an enigmatic smile, and she reached over to open the car door, effectively breaking the spell.

 

They entered Granny’s and after a quick glance around, silently agreed on the corner table over in the part that was a little darker, a little more intimate. That area was usually reserved for couples, and tonight they were one.

 

When they reached the table, Emma asked, “Can I take your coat?” She almost giggled, both because she was a little nervous and at the ridiculousness of the thought of Regina not being able to take off her own coat. Regina’s hands stilled, as she had been about to remove the garment herself.

 

“By all means.”

 

* * *

Regina sucked in a breath and held it when Emma’s fingers brushed against her skin, helping her remove her coat. She felt goosebumps rise along her neck and arms, and at least it was easily explainable by the cold. Emma would have no idea that was not even the tiniest factor.

 

Emma gestured her toward the chair, but Regina shook her head. “Quid pro quo, dear.”

 

Emma laid the coat across the back of one of the seats so it would be out of the way and allowed Regina to move in behind her. Regina carefully pushed the mass of soft blond curls out of the way, holding the jacket while Emma shrugged out of it.

 

Thankfully her back was turned, because Regina was not sure what her expression said for those first few moments of taking in Emma’s outfit,. The hunter green dress was sleeveless and stopped midthigh, revealing more skin than Regina’s brain knew what to do with. And what it covered was just as enticing, because while she gave Emma a hard time about stuffing her face with junk food all the time, the blonde looked absolutely perfect to Regina’s eyes. She loved the subtle curvature of Emma’s biceps especially, knew they were a result of her workout routine, that the blonde ran every morning and lifted weights and did other things to stay in shape, a habit she had kept up from her bail bondsperson days. And if Regina had the strange urge to sink her teeth into one, well, she was just getting into character.

 

While they were facing away from the rest of the customers, Regina was aware that the normally fairly loud diner had gone almost completely silent. Conversations had halted, and she could feel the heat of a dozen curious stares as she and Emma navigated what clearly appeared to be date protocol.

 

Regina ignored them, managing to school her expression into something resembling normalcy as they moved toward their seats on opposite sides of the table for two. She allowed herself a quick glance to admire Emma’s scooped neckline, subtly embroidered with tiny silver beads, the barest hint of cleavage that it revealed.

 

This was going to be interesting.

 

* * *

 

It wasn’t so bad, actually.

 

The first few minutes were a little awkward. People were definitely staring, and when Ruby came over to hand them menus, she hovered over Regina’s shoulder where she couldn’t see and mouthed _Oh. My. God._ at Emma before moving away. And people totally stared, especially when she decided to just go for it and reached forward to hold Regina’s hand.

 

It was nice, actually. Besides the fact that her heart was going a million miles a minute, Regina’s hand felt nice and her eyes were unfathomable and her smile was beautiful, and Emma could just sit there staring at her all night and be perfectly happy.

 

“This is ridiculous,” Regina said, rolling eyes in the direction of the rest of the diner. “You would think they had never seen a couple before.”

 

“Well, we would be one for the ages. This much beauty and power in one couple? Look out, world!” Emma declared, smiling.

 

“Indeed.” Regina looked like she was about to say something else, but Ruby came over and interrupted the moment, asking for their order.

 

After that, people seemed to go back to their own business, though there were definitely some lingering stares. Regina shot a couple of them a pointed “back off” expression, though, which helped a little.

 

Then they just settled into their normal rhythm, and Emma simply had to remember to reach over and touch Regina’s wrist now and then. Which honestly wasn’t any effort at all, rather something that was entirely an instinct she no longer had to work to suppress.

 

When Regina laughed huskily at Emma’s recounting of an amusing story Henry had told her earlier that day, Emma felt her stomach clench. God, she wanted this. She wanted it all. She wanted it for real. She wanted to be able to lean over and touch her lips to Regina’s and not worry about being turned into a toad or something.

 

But that was not something to think about now.

 

The hour passed entirely too quickly, and Emma barely tasted her fettuccine alfredo, though she was sure it was delicious. 

 

After that, they drove over to the movie theatre where they were showing “It’s a Wonderful Life,” and as she had confirmed to Regina via text earlier in the week, it was one of her favorites.

 

They stood in line for snacks, discussing their favorite Christmas movies. Emma confessed to loving “Home Alone” when she was younger, though as a parent, she was now stressed out by it. She could quote every line of “Christmas Vacation” without shame, however, and Regina was a fan of the old “Miracle on 34th Street.”

 

They ordered their snacks – Reese’s Pieces for Emma and Red Vines for Regina – and took their seats in the darkened theatre, waiting for the movie to begin. Thankfully, as it was a family movie, they were surrounded by all sorts of families and friends rather than just couples. Several people stopped to greet them, curiously glancing at their outfits and the way they shared the armrest. No one asked outright if they were on a date, but almost everyone started whispering the moment they passed the row. “Oh my goodness, did you see...”

 

Emma just shared a secret smirk with Regina right as the movie started.

 

Emma enjoyed every moment, secretly empathizing with Mary when she was pretending to absolutely not be head-over-heels for George, laughing as they fell into the swimming pool, scowling at Potter, maybe even shedding a few tears at the end. When she glanced over, Regina was wiping her eyes, too, so Emma felt a little less ridiculous. And also glad she had decided to skip the mascara tonight. Regina’s was probably something like 300% waterproof, so she didn’t have the tiniest bit of smudging.

 

As they stood up, Emma didn’t even pretend not to watch as Regina stretched her cramped muscles, arching her back and taking a deep breath. It was only in character, after all, and no one had to know that the hunger that was probably in her eyes was only a fraction of what she was holding back.

 

“Ready to go, Emma?”

 

Hell yeah, she was. She was all kinds of ready. Regina obviously just meant to leave the building though, so she shrugged into her jacket and let herself softly touch Regina at the waist as they navigated the stairs toward the bottom of the theatre.

 

Back out in the cold night, Emma breathed in the frigid air, letting it disperse the fog that had wrapped itself around her brain.

 

“Well, I would call that a success, don’t you think?” Regina said once they were in the privacy of the car.

 

“People certainly seemed to be buying it.”

 

“And I imagine it should die down enough that we shouldn’t make too much of a splash at the ceremony.”

 

“Yep. I hope we didn’t underestimate people, though. You should have seen Ruby’s face at the diner! I thought her eyes were going to fall out. And she kept mouthing stuff at me over your shoulder every time she came over.”

 

“I gathered. It was either that or she just kept trying to angle herself so she could look down my dress.”

 

“I would’ve,” was the comment Emma almost swallowed her tongue to keep herself from making. Damn, it was hard to have a non-date. Way more stress than she had initially realized, letting herself do and say things in the name of the farce but making sure not to let it go too far. Instead, she just laughed a little.

 

As she pulled up to 108 Mifflin, Emma wished once again that this were a real date, that Regina would invite her up for “drinks” that were really just code for tangled sheets and naked skin.

 

Emma felt her face flush at the thought and was grateful for the darkness that would cover the telltale redness of her cheeks.

 

Everything felt wrong again all the sudden. How did they normally end their nights together? She couldn’t really remember. It just happened. Like hanging out with anyone, you get tired, you say goodnight. But it just felt off tonight, like this place between a friendly and romantic outing needed something to mark its ending, to give it a sense of finality, like a peck at the end of a first date.

 

But obviously _that_ wasn’t doable. So why wasn’t Regina just getting out of the car? Emma idled the Bug a few moments longer, waiting for whatever it was Regina looked like she might be about to say.

 

“Thank you for this, Emma,” was what she finally said. “I know it was probably awkward for you.”

 

“Eh, no biggie. It was fun. Besides, we’re doing it for me, too, remember? So thanks right back atchya.”

 

“You’re welcome.” Regina was almost painfully formal, and Emma tried to come up with anything to make her comfortable again.

 

“Friends?” Emma saw her hand come up for a fistbump, though she felt somewhat detached from it and would have sworn she had sent no such impulse. She didn’t _fistbump_ Regina. That was something she did with Henry. But she let it hang there for a couple seconds, so Regina shot her a curious look and lightly tapped Emma’s knuckles with her own.

 

“Friends.”

 

Emma watched as Regina safely let herself into her house, kept her mind purposefully blank as she drove home to her apartment where Henry was already asleep. She marched straight to her room, divested herself of her shoes and dress, draping the delicate fabric over a chair before she collapsed into bed, shoved her face in her pillow and alternately composed fantasies on different ways the evening could have ended and berated herself for being an idiot.

 

* * *

 

Emma felt horrible for ignoring Ruby’s calls the next couple days, but she just pretended that she was busy at the office. It wasn’t that much of a stretch, really, because people got drunk a lot around the holidays, which tended to lead to stupid behavior, which tended to increase her workload.

 

Plus, she really did not want to lie to Ruby, as she considered the other woman her friend. But she also couldn’t tell the truth. Henry was the only other one who knew; she and Regina had told him before they went out the first time. He’d been a little confused about their reasoning, but he had smirked in this way like he knew something they didn’t and said he was fine with it. Henry was always one for secrets and covert missions, and he promised he would come up with a fitting Operation name for them.

 

She couldn’t ignore Snow like she could Ruby, but she refused to discuss the situation in detail with the other woman. “We’re just seeing if this is something we want to pursue,” she said, and Snow’s face was hilarious, because she couldn’t seem to decide if she was revolted or elated by the idea.

 

After Sunday night, she didn’t see Regina for more than a few minutes at a time until Christmas Eve, arriving just in time to drive over for the late morning ceremony. At least they would be providing lunch afterward. Emma had accidentally overslept this morning and had had to skip breakfast so she could run by the office and drop a couple things off with David before meeting Regina.

 

Emma had a strange fondness for Regina’s car, so she was perfectly fine with Regina’s insistence that she drive this time.

 

“Did Henry call you this morning?” Emma asked.

 

“No. He just sent a text to let me know he was having fun and that the party is still set to end at 4.”

 

“Yeah, same here.”

 

“I sometimes still think he’s going to call me crying in the middle of the night, missing his mother. He did that once, the first time he spent the night at a friend’s when he was six.” Regina smiled nostalgically.

 

“He probably still wants to sometimes. But he’s growing up, and now it’d be uncool. At least he texted. Most boys probably wouldn’t have the decency to do that. You raised him right, Regina.” Emma stated, suppressing the urge to reach her hand over and touch the other woman reassuringly.

 

Regina sent her a grateful look. “I did my best. At least we know he’s safe.”

 

“As safe as a group of preteen boys is going to get, anyway,” Emma quipped, and Regina snorted.

 

They sat in companionable silence for the rest of the drive, but the silence suddenly turned deafening when Regina pulled into the parking space and shut off the engine. Emma tried to mentally shake it off. They’d done this once, now it should be cake. Literally. There would be cake. Emma liked cake. If she just thought about the cake, it would all be fine.

 

“Ready for round two?” Regina asked.

 

“Ready.” Emma confirmed, and she reached over and opened the car door.

 

* * *

The ceremony was beautiful, and Roland was adorable as ever. Moreso, actually, because he was rocking his tiny tux with the biggest grin imaginable. Regina watched him through the ceremony, because it was easier than watching Robin and Marian. She tried not to be envious of the fact that this couple got their romantic happy ending when she was left without one.

 

But she had Emma, and for just a moment, she allowed herself to pretend this was real. It was so easy. Emma kept their hands intertwined, resting in the small gap where their thighs _almost_ -touched. Regina knew that it wasn’t all about the charade, sensed that Emma was trying to give her some strength through the contact. And it worked, simply knowing she had that unwavering support.

 

Emma’s support meant more to her than anyone in the world besides Henry.

 

When the ceremony had concluded, everyone moved to the next event room over, which was already set up with tables and chairs and food galore. It was decked out to the max, the couple having fully embraced the Christmas theme the date they chose mandated. There were white, twinkling lights, and it smelled like a forest, probably from the tiny candles on all the tables, since the trees in every corner appeared to be very convincing fakes.

 

“God, this cake is _fantastic_ ,” Emma said a while later, eyes half shut in rapture as she devoured the chocolate cherry concoction. Privately, Regina thought it was a little too sweet, but she enjoyed her small piece nonetheless, and she loved Emma’s devout passion for all things sugary. The blonde looked more than halfway ready to orgasm from the chocolate alone, a thought that made Regina’s toes curl in her pointed heels.

 

“Attention, everyone!” Regina tried not to scowl at the man tearing her away from her much-too-inappropriate-for-her-surroundings fantasies, standing there with his glass raised high. At least it drew the attention away from her and Emma, since more than a few townspeople still appeared to be curious about them.

 

“I would like to make a toast to my wife. As many of you know, due to circumstances, we were separated for a long time. But we are together again, and I am so happy you all are here to celebrate with us. To Marian!”

 

Regina raised her glass along with Emma, who reached over and placed a hand on Regina’s thigh, nearly causing her to choke on her sparkling grape juice.

 

After everyone had toasted, Robin remained standing, and Marian moved to join him. “But today is not just about us. Today is a celebration of the love and joy and happiness we are feeling, but we would also like to share that with all of you.” Regina probably would have gagged from the saccharine overload, but she was too focused on Emma’s hands still burning a hole through her skirt. “With that in mind, we will not be having the traditional bouquet toss. Instead, Marian will be tossing mistletoe. If a sprig comes in your direction, you know what to do!”

 

There was a titter of laughter from the surrounding tables, and Marian stepped up on a chair, facing in the opposite direction from the rest of the tables. In her hands she held several bunches of mistletoe, and she reached back and flung them in all different directions.

 

Regina watched as one of them seemed to hurtle toward her in slow motion, landing with a _thwack_ on the table, situated with near comic perfection in the center between herself and Emma.

 

She turned panicked eyes on the blonde, who seemed to be feeling the same thing if her hand covering her mouth was any indication. They were alone at their table, but a quick glance around told Regina that several people had already taken notice of this particular sprig of mistletoe and were watching with avid curiosity for the result.

 

Emma’s eyes were wide as she stayed still, but she raised her eyebrows and turned her mouth up in a little half smile, seemingly giving Regina permission to do what needed to be done.

 

So Regina leaned in.

 

That’s when things got a little hazy.

 

Because then Emma sucked in a little breath and leaned toward her, too. Then their lips touched and Emma’s fingers curled into her thigh. And then Regina’s heart was thundering in her chest and she didn’t want to move, didn’t want to _breathe_ , didn’t want to do a single thing that would ever make this moment come to an end.

 

But end it did, because Regina drew back after only second, having never once closed her eyes to shut out their audience. Her ears were ringing, but she swore Emma made a tiny sound of disappointment when they parted. The blonde had shut her eyes, and when they opened, she was paralyzed, because they were filled with wonder and happiness and heat, and Regina was unable to look away.

 

They just sat there, breathing, staring. Slowly, Regina became aware that most everyone in the room was clapping, for them, for the brother and sister at Table 9 who had shared an adorable cheek kiss, for Snow (whom they had purposefully avoided when picking seats) and Doc, seated on the other side of the room with a few of the other dwarves, and for others Regina couldn’t see and didn’t care about.

 

All she cared about was the expression on Emma’s face.

 

But then Emma looked down for a split second, and when she came back up, she seemed normal again. She glanced around, then shot Regina this look like “we fooled them, huh,” and she had no idea.

 

* * *

 

Emma’s mind was in chaos. She was thankful Regina had driven today, because she wasn’t sure she could have focused on the road. However, it would be nice to have something to do with her hands other than let them lie uselessly in her lap and think about how they could be curled in Regina’s hair right now, could be touching her thigh again.

 

They had barely spoken since the kiss, only a few stilted words before they slipped out of the reception as soon as the dancing started.

 

For that, Emma was equally grateful and disappointed, but it was probably for the better.

 

Now the only problem was that they still had a good three hours before they had to pick up their son. They had planned to spend it together, doing some last-minute gift wrapping and prepping for the next day.

 

Now it seemed as if the time before they had an extra presence in the room would go on forever. They stopped in front of the house and entered without a word, but after they hung up their coats, Emma decided she’d had enough.

 

Yeah, that kiss was going to fuel her fantasies for about the next gazillion years, but she couldn’t let it ruin her actual life.

 

“So...that went a little off-script, huh?” Emma ventured, trying to sound nonchalant.

 

“You could say that,” Regina answered cautiously, avoiding her eyes.

 

“Good thing we’re both skilled at improv, I guess. Nice to have a possible fallback career in case this one goes down the drain.”

 

It was a lame joke, but Regina forced a small laugh at it anyway.

 

“So, friends?” Emma held up her fist on purpose this time, trying to make a joke out of her silliness the other night.

 

Regina just stared at it for a minute, then pursed her lips, straightened her back, lifted her chin, and got her stubborn face on, looked Emma square in the eye.

 

“No.”

 

“Wh-what?” If this was a joke, Emma didn’t get it, and she was already scrambling to think through the day, wondering if she had done something wrong, if she had crossed a line with that kiss, but Regina had been the one to lean in first, had she somehow gotten her signals crossed or-

 

“I said, ‘no.’”

 

 _God_ , it was like getting punched in the heart twice in a row.

 

“Yeah, I got that. Regina, I’m sorry if- Did I do something?”

 

“You looked at me.”

 

Emma blinked, startled. “Wait, what?”

 

“You looked at me like only one other person has ever looked at me.”

 

Emma didn’t know what to do with that. It was the _truth_. As small as the kiss was, it had broken her façade for a moment, and she hadn’t been able to hold anything back.

 

“I know I don’t have your ‘superpower,’ but it didn’t seem like acting.”

 

“I...” She couldn’t tell where the other woman was going with this, couldn’t tell if she wanted an apology or something else.

 

Oh, she hoped it was _something else_.

 

“If I told you I wanted to kiss you now, with no one watching, and asked if you felt the same, what would you say?” Regina was staring intently at her, and now Emma could see the hesitance in her eyes, the unwillingness to quite believe the theory she was presenting, how much she needed confirmation of it before she could possibly get it into her head that Emma could have feelings for her.

 

So Emma took a step forward and met Regina’s gaze head on. “More than I want to breathe.”

 

And then she moved or Regina moved or they both moved, but their lips were together again, and that was the important thing. Regina let out a shuddery sigh, and the tension bled out of her shoulders as she wrapped her arms around Emma’s back to pull her closer. Regina parted her lips, and Emma deepened the kiss. She wanted to touch every part of the other woman she possibly could. She couldn’t keep still, cupping her cheek, running a hand through her hair, circling around to grab her hips and back her slowly against the entryway wall.

 

Regina moved away from Emma’s mouth, drawing her tongue down the side of Emma’s neck and finding a tender spot before she scraped her teeth across it gently, and Emma let out a groan, pushing her leg between the brunette’s. Regina hummed her approval before drawing Emma’s mouth to hers again and pushing into her thigh.

 

“Emma,” Regina panted against her lips, and Emma almost passed out on the spot from that single word.

 

“God, Regina, _yes_. Wanted this for so long.” Emma returned, rubbing her cheek against Regina’s, reveling in the sensations a million nerve endings were singing with.

 

“Emma, we should slow down.”

 

“Yeah.” Somewhere in the fog that was her brain, Emma realized that would probably be a good idea. Communication and all that, no matter how much she ached to continue. The last thing she wanted to do was confuse Regina or make her think this was some twisted continuation of their fake relationship. “Yeah, okay.” Emma withdrew her leg from between Regina’s, who in turn disentangled one hand from Emma’s hair and the other from her shirt.

 

They stayed close, though, gasping as though they had been running side by side for days on end.

 

“Just for the record?” Regina’s raspy voice came from somewhere in the vicinity of her ear. “I would prefer it if you would keep breathing.”

 

Emma laughed and drew back so she could look into Regina’s eyes. “Yeah?”

 

“Most definitely. Though I am a fan of the kissing, as well. Not to mention other things.” Her eyes darkened as her fingers drifted higher, to trace a light circle over Emma’s nipple, which hardened immediately.

 

“I must say, I’m really enjoying your definition of ‘slowing down,’” Emma grinned.

 

“I admit, patience is not always one of my virtues,” Regina said, smiling coyly.

 

“In all seriousness, Regina,” Emma said, sobering. “It’s true. What you said before, about how I looked at you. I wasn’t acting. None of it was. You, you’re... You’re more important to me than anyone in the world other than Henry. It scares me sometimes, actually, how much I want to be around you, to talk to you, to make you laugh. God, I love your laugh.”

 

If eyes could smile like the sun, that’s what Regina’s were doing, shining beneath a veneer of tears like her heart could break from happiness. She didn’t say anything for quite some time, didn’t appear to be able to, but finally she swallowed and took a breath before reaching for Emma’s hands.

 

“I’m not good at this, Emma. You probably know that. But you’re important to me, as well. You have no idea how much. I’ve felt for a long time that we would-“

 

Regina was interrupted by a tinny beeping coming from her purse on the floor where she had dropped it sometime during their impromptu make out session.

 

“What’s that?”

 

“It’s the alarm I set. It means it’s time to start the cookies.” The death glare Regina shot at small offending object as it continued its tune struck Emma as hilarious, and she couldn’t stop herself from laughing.

 

“You set an _alarm_ for that?”

 

“I didn’t want to lose track of time. The dough has to chill for a certain number of hours, or the cookies don’t set right.”

 

Emma just shook her head in disbelief. “You’re kind of wonderful, you know that?”

 

Regina just dropped her eyes in embarrassment, waving Emma’s comment off. “Don’t be ridiculous. Now, are you going to help me with the cookies or start the wrapping?”

 

“Um, weren’t you kind of in the middle of a speech?”

 

“I think you know what I was going to say.”

 

“Yeah, but I still want to hear it. Maybe it just started one way, but it was actually going to wind up being about the history of the Storybrooke drainage system.”

 

“That’s actually a more complex topic than one might think,” Regina said, straightfaced, but then her lips curved up into a half smile, and Emma felt hers stretch into a dopey grin. “But just so as not to leave you in suspense, I suppose I will continue. I was simply saying that it seems my feelings are aligned with yours.” She paused and took a deep breath, seemingly steeling herself for the words she was about to say. “Simply stated, when I look at you, I see my happy ending. But not only that. I also see myself trying my best to give you yours.” Regina’s expression turned just the smallest bit self deprecating, like she was about to warn Emma away from getting involved with her despite everything, but Emma interrupted before she could get the chance.

 

“Don’t you dare,” Emma shushed her huskily, reaching up to cup the other woman’s cheek. “That is the most beautiful thing anyone has ever said to me, and I know you mean it. Believe it or not, I’m aware that you’re not perfect. Neither am I. But I think this is worth a shot.”

 

Regina’s hand moved up to join hers. “As do I.”

 

“Good,” Emma said just before Regina leaned in and kissed her, softly and slowly, and Emma felt her knees weaken before the brunette pulled back.

 

“Now, let’s go bake some cookies.”

 

* * *

 

_One year later._

 

“Emma, we’re not hanging mistletoe!” Regina said, coming to stand in the doorway and watch as Emma placed the final piece of tape on the first of Henry’s gifts.

 

“Why not?” Emma asked as she started measuring the ribbon for the bow on top.

 

“This isn’t a college dorm room. It’s tacky.”

 

“Um, I don’t seem to remember you thinking it was so tacky last year,” Emma intoned. “In fact, you seemed to be quite the fan.”

 

“Yes, well, I don’t need an excuse to kiss you now.”

 

“Maybe I’ll just implement a no-mistletoe-less kissing rule until Christmas.”

 

“Ha! Like you would last that long.”

 

“Please. I think we all know who was the one begging impatiently just yesterday.”

 

“We were in a hurry! I had a meeting.”

 

“Whatever you say, Sugar-pie!” Emma called, just as Regina disappeared into the kitchen.

 

“Call me that again, Swan, and I will end you!” Regina hollered over her shoulder.

 

Emma just grinned and looked in satisfaction at the perfectly curled ribbon, setting aside the present to make room for the next one in the pile.

 

“What’s that? You want to finish me? Okay, race you upstairs!”

 

Regina’s huff of laughter was followed by a muttered “Incorrigible,” and Emma thought that if she smiled any harder her face might break.


End file.
